Saturday, January 22, 2011

Today, I received a message from a fellow Meetup member about a JR PHP developer spot opening up in the near future. I thought about looking into the position [part time consulting basis]-- so went to the Meetup page to learn more about it. Did not find what I was looking for, however did find a local designer's site.

I have been watching trends on the internet for a long time. Freelancing affords me this opportunity. I also have a "real" background in software technology. HTML, CSS, Javascript, DOM-- would be child's play for someone with my background. That said-- these internet technologies are not easily learned by all. Complicating the issues-- different browser developers integrate standards for these environments differently-- so often "workarounds" have to be used for different platforms [.i.e., Unix, Mac, Windows], or the myriad of browsers available for these different platforms.

Especially when I first started in the Blogging world -- June 2004, I noticed a lot of design shops [as related to blog templates], that perhaps did not understand all of the mechanics of HTML, CSS, Javascript as related to different browsers. I believe a lot of design shops were sued. Almost all of the bookmarks I had for those early design shops are no longer available. Why? Too many problems with client sites and not insuring they worked across the board. Or Copyright infringements.

The local design site I found this morning-- was showcasing a new lawyer's site in their portfolio. My default browser on the Mac is FireFox. Not only was the lawyer's site "unfit" for online publication, but the design shop's had some issues as well- in the popular Firefox browser.

Even if I wanted to act as a consultant for a shop like this-- I would have to pass. Why? Too many mistakes and the lawyer's site was a big red flag. Clearly stated on the design firm's site- "we have Macs". Most designers of the mid 2000s get it. You did not? Learn from what I had the time to observe-- you are asking to be sued.